Episode 170 – “Tomb of the Cybermen” – Part 01

Queue up that music, turn on the subtitles, and brace for the most…er…interesting…American accents this side of “The Gunfighters”!

Also, look! A black guy!

Our story opens with the TARIDS, and inside we find Jamie, the Doctor, and…Victoria! Yes, she’s joined the team. As I’ve skipped the previous story, for now, I didn’t see her introduction. For the un-educated, she’s a young woman from Victorian England. Her father was killed by the Daleks, and now she’s with the Doctor.

The Doctor mentions that he’s 450 years old, and I think this is possibly the first time we’ve had the Doctor tell us his age.

We flash to an alien planet where we see a silent black guy that it amuses me to call Toblerone. We then go to the rest of the party, which includes a pair of “Americans” played by actors who clearly has only ever seen John Wayne films. Fantastic.

The party detonates some explosives and uncovers a set of doors with the Cybermen logo on them. One of the party, a woman named Kaftan, offers money to the first person who opens them. Someone tries, and is electrocuted. Fun!

At this point someone else in the party mentions seeing something land, as others notice the sound of the TARDIS. I think this is the first time anyone has seen the thing actually coming down. When they find the Doctor and friends, they mention that the Doctor speaks English, and I think it’s also the first time that’s happened.

There’s some discussion about the doors and what’s going on here. Eventually the Doctor recruits Toblerone to open them. The electrical charge that had been in the doors before has apparently dissipated. Which…makes sense, I suppose?

There’s a very amusing scene after that where the Doctor briefly takes Jamie’s hand, thinking he’s Victoria, and then favorably compares her new dress with that of Jamie. I do rather like that.

The party splits up, always an annoyance to any DM, and they start exploring the tomb. Kaftan and her crew, which includes Victoria, find a Cyberman recharge station. Jamie and the twink he’s wandering around with find a “dead” Cybermat. Meantime the Doctor gets into an argument with Kleig, the man who seems to be the head scientist on the expedition.

Kaftan turns out to be a bit of a bitch when she seals Victoria up in the recharge chamber. I don’t know what she does this. Jamie and the twink start playing around with what turns out to be a Cyberman hypnosis chamber. Yes, they’re basically looking at Hypnotoad.

Ok, the twink isn’t really a twink, and it turns out the hypnosis chamber might be more of a targeting system. Yes, things perhaps are not as they appear!

Our boys continue to screw around with technology, which seems to be an unwise notion. That is unwise is proven when, moments later, the not-a-twink manages to get himself killed.